


What You Missed

by CyborgWrites



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Insecure Lance, Jealous Shiro, Mutual Pining, Shiro disaster gay extraordinaire, Shiro is a Mess, allura is the bestest, hunk and pidge are the bestest friends, lance loves him though, shiro is such a dumbass omg someone help him, smut in later chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-05-09 05:14:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14709783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyborgWrites/pseuds/CyborgWrites
Summary: Based on my tumblr post:Oblivious Shiro but he’s oblivious to his OWN feelings so when Lance gets mixed signals and confesses, Shiro fucks up and rejects him only to regret it later when he’s like “oh shit, all those Feelings were actually Love. I am a dumbass”.Cue Shiro trying to win Lance over but Lance is still sensitive over the rejection and also confused af because Shiro is a disaster gay who doesn’t clarify any of this shit.Ft. Lance not realizing/believing Shiro could have The Feelings for him and trying to move on and Jealous Shiro who could just… you know, confess instead of doing all this roundabout shit.Discontinued





	1. Mistakes Were Made

Lance wished the floor would swallow him up. Or that he could at least turn back time to a few minutes prior, before he’d confessed to Shiro like an idiot.

He’d approached him after dinner. He had noticed Shiro acting odd around him, he always had but it was so frequent Lance thought it had to be something. From stopping Lance’s flirting to the long stares and soft smiles and compliments and how he was significantly more tactile, his touch always lingering.

Lance, who had always had feelings for Shiro, got his hopes up and took a chance. It was a good thing he was used to heartache.

“Shiro?”

Shiro paused, waiting for Lance.

“Hey Lance, what’s up?”

Lance flushed, more nervous now that he was really going to do it.

He took a deep breath.

“Well it’s just that I really love you and I was wondering if perhaps the feeling was mutual?”

Shiro frowned, which Lance took as Not A Good Sign.

“Wait, love me as in…”

“Romantically,” Lance clarified, holding his breath to gauge Shiro’s response.

Shiro’s eyes widened and he stepped back, the slight shake of his head making Lance’s heart sink.

And Shiro, bless him… he tried to let Lance down gently.

“Lance, I appreciate you being honest, but I don’t feel the same way and I don’t know what gave you the impression that I did. I care about you a lot but not in the romantic sense. I’m sorry.”

Lance smiled, willing the cracks in his heart to hold until he got some privacy and he could break down with dignity.

“I understand.”

With that he turned and left, Shiro staring after him lost and unsure what to do, a cold sinking feeling in his chest. He wanted to follow Lance and…

And what?

He didn’t know, and he didn’t think Lance wanted to be near him right then. He sighed, going into his room to get ready for bed.

He lay in his bed, willing himself to sleep only to grow frustrated when he couldn’t. He tossed and turned, finally giving up and glaring at his ceiling.

Fuck.

The next morning found an exhausted Shiro picking unenthusiastically at his food goo. The others joined shortly after and his eyes found Lance’s who’s were suspiciously red.

Shiro again had this odd feeling. It wasn’t just guilt. He couldn’t name it. He didn’t know what to do for Lance, though since Shiro was the reason he had likely cried himself to sleep, a thought that almost makes Shiro want to launch himself out of an airlock.

“Paladins,” Allura said, “today we will be embarking on a diplomatic mission. Please try to be on your best behavior and as amicable as possible.”

They all nodded, though Lance did not respond with his usual enthusiasm, a fact which Shiro was hyperaware of. He instantly missed Lance’s cheer and he was struck by that. It was such a constant and Shiro had grown so accustomed to it, it was enough to make a man a little more grateful when it was absent.

He shook the thought from his mind, though. They had a mission.

Later, he would wish they had never stepped foot on the Hell Planet.

Lance cheered visibly when he caught sight of the landscape. Of course he did, Shiro thought. There were beaches. Lance loved beaches.

Shiro didn’t know why his brain supplied that information. For some reason when Lance talked Shiro couldn’t help but listen and store every detail away for safe-keeping. Every bit felt important and Shiro found that oddly ridiculous when they first met; so much so that he would stop Lance mid-sentence or remain unresponsive when he could. But he had gotten comfortable. And Lance made it so damned easy to let his guard down.

It was a concern. He was the black paladin. He couldn’t let his guard down.

But all of that went out the window when they landed, Lance being the first of the paladins to exit the castle, a hopeful smile on his face. Shiro couldn’t help but smile, too. He had to catch himself from reaching out to touch him as he had taken to doing more often, the casual closeness with Lance a source of comfort and… something else he couldn’t name. But he couldn’t touch Lance. Lance probably wanted nothing to do with him.

Shiro’s mood dropped at the thought. All the touches, the inside jokes, the easy conversation, the understanding… he knew what he felt in that hallway then as Lance had walked away from him.

Loss.

But why?

He tried to put it out of his mind, ears catching the familiar sound of laughter. The planet’s diplomats had yet to arrive and Lance was taking the chance to run along the shallow water making small splashes, twirling in the sand and even stopping to just breathe in the ocean air.

Some of the water had sprinkled Lance’s face, the drops of water catching some of the sunlight and it was near impossible to look away. He could hear his own heart hammering in his ears and his palms grew sweaty.

Lance was… he looked… pretty? Was that the correct, totally platonic, not at all romantic way to refer to someone who looked enchanting? But Lance was always nice to look at. Shiro tried not to think about it too much. Lance was just… distracting. And Shiro couldn’t let himself be distracted.

Eventually Hunk had managed to manhandle Lance out of the water and Shiro squashed down his amusement at the indignant screeching that ensued.

Yup. Magical.

Of course, as he was being carried over Hunk’s shoulder, Lance managed to lock eyes with Shiro and catch him staring.

Lance was so confused. Why did Shiro have to stare at him all the time? He wasn’t into Lance so what the fuck was his deal? Lance shook the thought from his mind. It didn’t matter why His Great Leader didn’t get the staring is rude memo. Shiro would never be into him so Lance didn’t allow himself to entertain anymore “theories”.

He tapped Hunk’s shoulder quietly and Hunk understood well enough to know playtime was over and Lance needed his feet on the ground.

The ambassador and prince did eventually arrive to greet them, saying their hellos to Allura and then to the rest of them, though the prince for some reason did linger on Lance.

“Why hello, paladin. What is your name?” he asked in a velvety voice.

Lance flushed. The man was pretty. He had violet eyes, silky dark blue hair, pale blue skin, those elf ears Allura liked so much, intricate markings Lance was unsure whether they were tattoos or birthmarks and he was so nicely toned. And if Lance was honest with himself, he needed the ego boost the attention was giving him after his most recent rejection.

“I’m Lance.”

“Beautiful name,” the prince purred, kissing Lance’s hand and earning nervous laughter from the paladin.

Shiro could feel his own face twitching at the sight.

“If we could move on to the palace or wherever it is you live,” he cut in, face stony. He chanced a glance at Lance, finding the Cuban was glaring at him as if to say, “What the fuck are you doing?”

Shiro shrugged, unapologetic.

The prince smiled indulgently, hooking his arm with Lance’s which seemed to placate Lance but only served to make Shiro want to punch him hard enough to see if he would skip on the ocean water.

Fuck that guy. Why the sudden interest in Lance? Not that Lance wasn’t great. Lance was amazing and Shiro knew that because he knew Lance but this guy…

He watched from behind with clenched fists as the prince lead the team with Lance on his arm like some kind of… Well, he didn’t know but when he found the word he would resolve to be properly angry about it as he was with most people who… distracted… Lance.

He breathed a sigh of relief as soon as they reach the palace throne room and the prince had to release Lance to greet his mother.

Crisis averted.

He walked over to Lance, standing next to him and ignoring he look he received from him in his peripheral.

“What are you doing?” Lance hissed.

“Keeping an eye on you.”

Lance’s eyes widened incredulously.

“What for?”

“I don’t like the way the prince was looking at you.”

“What with interest?”

“Exactly. What if he tries to-”

“Why do you care?”

Shiro looked at him.

“What?”

Lance narrowed his eyes, repeating himself slowly.

“Why. Do. You. Care?”

“I can’t have you distracted-”

“From?”

“Lance we are paladins of Voltron and as such-”

“As SUCH we can’t be rude to the prince of the planet we are visiting. If he wants to be friendly, I’m not going to brush him off. And I expect my leader to have faith in me as a team member. Or do you doubt me that much?”

“I- well- no. I trust you,” Shiro stammered, face red with shame. “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”

Lance nodded. “Good. Then you can get that put upon look off your face every time someone who isn’t you looks at me for more than two seconds.”

Shiro frowned.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Lance sighed, shaking his head and stepping away. “I don’t know. But if you ever figure it out… you know what, never mind. Forget it.”

Shiro reached for him.

“But-”

But Lance was gone, beckoned over by the prince and Shiro had to put on his best face as they were introduced to the Queen.

They were given a tour of the palace and Shiro resisted glaring daggers at Prince Handsy’s head.

He wasn’t as subtle as he hoped, drawing Pidge’s concern.

“Are you okay, Shiro?”

He nodded. “I’m fine.”

She arched a brow.

“Really because you seem tense. Normally Lance would take care of that, yeah?”

Shiro exhaled through his nose.

“Yes. Though he seems busy at the moment,” he said through gritted teeth.

She peered ahead. “Ah, Pretty Prince? Why are you worried about him?”

“I’m not.”

“Uh-huh…”

“What?” Shiro asked.

Pidge smirked

“Shiro, are you jealous?”

“What?!” he hissed, “Why would you think that?”

She blinked at him. “Well you’re into him, aren’t you?”

“What on earth gave you that impression?”

“You want a list?” She deadpanned.

He sighed. “I don’t know…”

“Great. Well, I’m gonna give you one anyway.”

“Of course.”

“You always get mad when he flirts with someone or vice versa-”

“I don’t want him to be distracted.”

“Oh really? How come you don’t get mad when his attention is on you? You get all blushy. It’s gross…”

“I do not-”

“Yes, you do,” chimed Hunk, making Shiro jump.

“Have you been listening the whole time?”

“Mhm.”

Shiro sighed. “Great.”

“Pidge is right, though. You get totally jealous if Lance is giving extra attention to anyone that isn’t you.”

Lance’s earlier words rang in his head.

Could it be that what he felt toward the prince was envy?

“I…”

“And you also have been a lot more open ever since you started spending more time together. You joke more, you’re more liberal with your compliments- which, I have to tell you, Lance worked really hard to get you to that point and you touch him a lot. Like he’s a tall lean magnet for that metal arm of yours,” Hunk rambled.

“Oh! and the creepy staring,” Pidge added.

Shiro balked.

“Creepy? And I do not stare at Lance that much.”

“You do,” they said.

Shiro stopped in his tracks. All this time he took each of those things as individual issues without really thinking about it. But now that they came together as one big picture.

“Oh my god. I love him.”

“Yeah, genius,” Pidge muttered, already exasperated with how dense he was.

Hunk clapped him on the shoulder.

“I think Lance is starting to notice it, too. Which is good considering he’s totally as into you as you’re into him.”

Shiro could hardly breathe.

“I love Lance,” he whispered again, staring ahead as Lance grew farther away from him.

“Shiro, you’re shaking,” Hunk said with concern.

Shiro looked at him with watery eyes.

“Hunk… I made a huge mistake.”

 


	2. Shatter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Operation Shance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right so originally I thought this would be 2 or 3 chapters but now Idk how long it will be. Anyway enjoy!

The paladins had all been shown to their guest quarters. They were grand and elegant, but nothing they hadn’t seen a few times if Shiro had anything to say about it.

 Hunk paced the floor of Shiro’s temporary room while Shiro sat on the bed with his head in his hands, Pidge dispassionately rubbing circles into the older man’s back as if to say ‘there, there’.

“So, let me get this straight,” Hunk began, “You love Lance.”

“Mhm,” Shiro whined, the sound muffled in his hands.

“You didn’t know it until five minutes ago?”

Shiro lifted his head, sighing. “No, I didn’t.”

“And Lance confessed already?”

“Yes.”

“You rejected him?”

Shiro nodded miserably.

Hunk sighed. “Okay, this is bad. But it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.”

Shiro frowned. “What do you mean it can be fixed? He thinks I don’t love him and now he wants nothing to do with me.”

Pidge huffed, smacking his arm. “Get the fuck over yourself.”

“Language,” Shiro admonished, though it was half-hearted, earning him an eyeroll.

“Pidge is right,” said Hunk, pausing his pacing, “Lance might be a handful sometimes, but he doesn’t feel entitled to people returning his feelings. If you rejected him and he responded kindly and left, it just meant he left to lick his wounds.”

“Then why is he cold toward me?”

“Uh… because you rejected him only to act like a jealous asshole the next day?” Pidge pointed out. “It would be one thing if you didn’t care. But the fact that you claimed not to return his feelings while trying to stop him from moving on probably confuses him and Lance hates being confused.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

Shiro side-eyed her. “If you’re gonna keep making fun of me you don’t have to help.”

“Oh, sorry you only needed me to spell it out for you that you were in love with him in the first place.”

He opened his mouth to respond but the words wouldn’t come.

“Pidge has a point,” Hunk said, causing the girl to smirk in triumph.

Shiro groaned. “What am I going to do? That prince won’t let Lance out of his sight.”

Hunk shook his head. “We aren’t trying to prevent that.”

He held a hand up to silence him when Shiro tried to protest.

“Lance likely is letting him do that because the attention is making him feel better after getting turned down. Trust me, I know him. He might be attracted to an extent, but he’s still got heavy feelings for you. So, we’re going to wait until after the mission to begin Operation Shance.”

Shiro arched a brow. “Shance?”

“It’s our ship name for the two of you,” Pidge said. “Shiro plus Lance equals Shance.”

“Give love a shance!” Hunk and Pidge said, high fiving each other.

Shiro laughed for a moment at least, shaking his head at them fondly.

He paused, still unsure.

“You seriously think Lance will give me another chance?”

Hunk sobered. “Not gonna lie, it’s gonna be difficult. But,” he said, smiling reassuringly, “he is hopeless when it comes to love. And he really does love you.”

“Right,” chimed Pidge. “The problem won’t be winning his heart. It’s gonna be convincing him that you’re serious. Getting him to open back up again after a heartbreak is going to be like pulling teeth. So, you have to be serious.”

“I am,” Shiro said.

“Good,” said Hunk. “I don’t have to disappear you,” he muttered.

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Pidge and I are going to bed now. We leave tomorrow afternoon.”

Shiro nodded sheepishly. “Right. Sorry for keeping you up.”

“No problem,” said Pidge, climbing onto Hunk’s back.

“Night, Shiro!” they called, closing the door shut behind them.

“Night,” he whispered, flopping on his back and sighing deeply. “I hope they’re right.”

The next day found them seated in the great hall having lunch with the queen and prince as she and Allura were in the last talks to finalize an alliance.

“We would be honored to join the coalition. Although we don’t have much to offer in terms of military power, we do have plenty of food to share should your forces require it.”

“Anything is appreciated,” said Allura. “In fact, our yellow paladin would be happy to expand our palettes with such resources. He is a masterful chef.”

Hunk blushed at the praise. “Thanks, Allura.”

She winked in response.

The queen nodded, a pleased smile on her face.

“Tell me yellow paladin, what to you make of the karoilik meat?”

Hunk beamed. “Please, call me Hunk. It’s delicious and tender. It also goes well with the melishkil sauce.”

“Good taste indeed, Hunk.”

“It’s a shame you can’t spare one of your paladins, princess,” said the prince. “I’ve grown quite fond of Lance.”

Lance ducked his head, cheeks flushed, “Yeah… hehe… fate of the universe and all that.”

The queen’s attention was drawn to the paladin who had captivated her son.

“Are you mated to anyone, Lance?”

His eyes widened.

They had been to enough planets for him to know what she meant.

“No- I- um… I am unmated,” he stammered.

“Then perhaps when all of this is over, you could call our planet home.”

They heard glass shatter at the other end of the table and startled.

“Shiro,” Pidge said, “you’re bleeding.”

He had shattered his glass in his human hand, the shards cutting into his palms as his blood dripped onto the table.

He didn’t look at any of them, his breathing shallow

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“Are you alright?” Allura asked, concern plain on her face. That wasn’t like him.

He didn’t respond, only looked at her with a lost expression on his face.

“Perhaps you should go to the ship and have Coran treat your hand?”

He didn’t need to be told twice, standing and nearly knocking over his chair in his haste to leave the room, leaving a bewildered Lance staring after him.

“What’s gotten into him,” he wondered aloud,

The queen hummed. “It’s obvious is it not? He was upset by my offer.”

“He meant no offense,” Allura reassured.

The queen waved her off.

“None was taken. I merely mean that being separated from Lance even hypothetically appears to be a source of distress for your black paladin.”

Lance laughed, though he didn’t feel it.

“With all due respect, Shiro can live without me just fine.”

Pidge and Hunk shared a look, an act that did not go unnoticed by Allura whose eyes narrowed at the obvious display of secrecy taking place around her. She did NOT like being left out of the loop.

“Pidge, Hunk, head to the castle and make sure Shiro is in fact being treated by Coran. Lance, you’ll stay with me until the terms of the alliance are finalized.”

“Yes, princess.”

With the other two gone her gaze settled firmly on Lance  who locked eyes with her and froze in his seat.

The message to him was clear.

_We WILL talk about this._

 

 


	3. Ride or Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura is the fucking best.  
> Platonic Allurance ahead!

The walk back to the Castle of Lions was tense to say the least. Allura had politely declined the prince’s offer to escort them and the queen seemed to accept that gracefully enough since the alliance was already finalized.

That left Lance trudging behind Allura who charged ahead without any attempts to make small talk.

The sun beamed over them and yet they barely felt it’s heat, the smell of the ocean still strong in the air.

He sighed, wondering what she might say when she finally chose to speak.

Before too long, the Castle was within their line of sight.

He almost ran into her, not realizing she stopped abruptly and startled when she spun around to face him, her hands firmly on her hips.

“Lance.”

“… Yeah? ...” he said slowly.

“What is going on?”

He frowned, back straightening. “I’m not sure what you mean,” he replied honestly.

Her eyes narrowed.

“Do not play the fool, Lance. Why is Shiro acting oddly and why are Pidge and Hunk keeping secrets?” she asked, poking him in the chest.

He winced. “Look, I have no idea what’s going on with Hunk and Pidge.”

She arched a brow, crossing her arms. “And Shiro?”

He swallowed, avoiding her eyes. “Allura it’s personal… and painful.”

At that, her demeanor changed, expression softening.

“Perhaps I can help?”

He shook his head. “You can’t help with a broken heart.”

She gasped. “You broke Shiro’s heart?”

His eyes widened. “What? No! I’d have to be in his league for that. I meant my heart!”

“Oh,” she whispered, reaching for him.  He leaned his cheek into her palm, craving the comfort more desperately than he thought. “Lance, I’m sorry.”

He sighed.

“I confessed, and he rejected me. It’s fine. It happens,” he muttered, willing himself to pull away. Her hands were soft like his sister’s and he felt a pang in his chest wishing he were back in Cuba so she could sooth him the way she always did.  “He just… why does he have to be so confusing?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, her head tilting in confusion.

“He acts so jealous and flirty sometimes and then he’s cold and then he’s protective and then he’s distant- just hot and cold. He sends me a lot of mixed signals. Like he rejected me but as soon as someone else started paying me attention he got butthurt over it,” he ranted, his hands growing more animated as he spoke. “So, I guess he doesn’t want me, but god forbid someone else shows interest!”

Allura pressed a finger to her chin at the new information.

“Hmm. It sounds like perhaps Shiro is confused as well?”

Lance huffed, crossing his arms. “Well if he is, tough! I put myself out there already. I might love the guy with all my heart, but I’m gonna need him to meet me half way if he ever figures himself out and decides he loves me back. Shiro needs to be sure about me. I can’t take anything less, Allura. My heart just can’t.”

“Why not just try to convince him with evidence?” she suggested.

Bless her.

He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Remind me to sit you down for a Fast and Furious movie marathon when we get to Earth.”

She blinked at him. “What do your Earth films have to do with this?”

He shook his head. “It’s… Dom and Letty. They’re one of the main couples and are ride or die for each other. At some point Letty is believed dead but then when Dom discovers she is alive, she has amnesia and doesn’t remember him. When her memory comes back after he nearly dies, she asks him why he didn’t tell her they were married.”

“Ride or die?”

“It means you’re down for your partner no matter what. You ride with them and die with them. Basically, code for extremely devoted.”

“Ah,” she said, nodding, “I like this term. I suppose I could say I am ride or die for you all.”

His eyes watered, and he took her hand in his, looking out at the sunset so as to not break down in tears. “I feel the same way, Allura.”

She grinned, giving his hand a squeeze. “Did he answer her question?”

“Yeah,” he said, still staring at the glittering waves ahead,” You can’t tell someone they’re in love with you.”

 ___________________________________________________________________________________

When Allura and Lance return, they’re arm in arm and Shiro has to stomp down the ugly burst of jealousy building in his gut. He locked eyes with Allura who looked at him with an unreadable expression. He didn’t know what’s worse, that look or the fact that she shifted almost protectively closer to Lance.

He tells his nerves to fuck off and approaches them, nodding in greeting. “Princess, Lance.”

“Shiro,” Allura acknowledges politely enough. Lance remains quiet but he’s watching Shiro.

“I wanted to apologize for earlier. I hope I didn’t jeopardize the alliance.”

Allura smiled and it was enough to relax the black paladin if only a little. “You did no such thing. How’s your hand, by the way?”

“Better,” he said, showing her his bandaged hand and casting a quick glance at Lance, deflating when the other male looked away.

Allura observed this with a neutral expression, filing the interaction away for further analysis later. She barely caught a flash of yellow and green disappearing around the corner, a surge of suspicion building in her mind.

“Perhaps you should get some rest then? I can brief you later before we take off.”

He nodded, knowing it was more of an order than a suggestion and he was still too embarrassed from dinner to argue back like he normally would.

“I’ll do that,” he said, turning and walking away, feeling eyes on his back the entire time.

When he was gone, Allura turned to Lance.

“I’m gong to the bridge to check with Coran. Will you be alright to go to your room to rest or did you want to accompany me?”

“Can I go with you?” he asked timidly, “I really don’t want to be alone right now.”

Her heart warmed at his vulnerability.

She smiled, happy to be of service when one of her paladins needed her.

“Of course,” she said, leading him by the arm. “Ride or die.”

He laughed, a real laugh this time and she thought perhaps he might eventually be okay regardless of how Shiro did or didn’t feel about him.

However, she thought as she passed a hall where she caught a glimpse of green and yellow clad arms pulling a black figure into another hall, there were still things she needed to get to the bottom of.

“Ride or die,” she heard Lance echo back, pulling her back into the moment and the familiar warmth of his presence.

Indeed.


	4. Stage 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Operation Shance begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sooo sorry  
> Guys, life has been super hectic. I've barely written anything because there's just too much going on. But I hear my readers and I hope this short chapter is okay for y'all.  
> One thing I'm always consistent about is my inconsistency lol.

Shiro paced the floor of his bedroom, the bare walls unforgiving as he nearly thought himself into a panic attack.

"It's okay, Shirogane. You have been through this before. Adam forgave a lot and he was nowhere near as forgiving as Lance. Lance will come around..."

But Adam had also ultimately left. That was Shiro's bad.

What if Lance saw all his flaws and decided Shiro wasn't worth it, too? 

He shook the thought from his mind. They weren't the same person. The situation was different. He wasn't dying anymore and Lance and Shiro both knew what it meant to be paladins. They'd been connected on an almost spiritual level.

But they did have one thing in common.

Neither one of them was just going to wait around until Shiro got his shit together.

With that in mind, Shiro's resolve strengthened.

He stopped pacing, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. But when he stepped forward toward the door, he paused.

"Oh my god, just come out!" He heard from the other side.

"Pidge?"

"Yes, dumbass. I could hear you pacing. We have work to do. You know in between Operation Shance, we also have paladin stuff to do. I literally do not have time for you to be a pus-"

The door hissed open and the words died on her tongue.

"I'm out," he said firmly. "And watch your fucking language."

She stared after him as he strode down the hall. He threw a look over his shoulder.

"Coming?"

"I- yeah," she stammered, rushing after him as her legs were significantly shorter.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Well," she said, adjusting her glasses, "I was thinking you could start with compliments."

Shiro frowned. "But I already do that."

Pidge nodded. "I know but you always try to relate it to him being a paladin. Make them more about his looks and personality. Or about the way he makes you feel. Dont stop doing the other stuff, though. Lance... it may be my fault to some degree and I'm trying to work on it but he is insecure about his place on the team. You're the person who makes him feel better about it usually."

"Keep telling him he's doing a good job but make my compliments more romantic. Got it."

They walked onto the bridge together, the rest of the crew already there. Lance was looking over battle plans with Allura, a rare sight.

"I didn't know you were the strategic type."

It seemed the wrong thing to say if Lance's tight smile in response was any indication.

Shiro vaguely heard Pidge's hand make contact with her forehead.

"It suits you. I always thought you were hiding your true skills from us. Care to fill me in?"

At that, Lance seemed to freeze, unsure what to say.

"Uh... you really think that?"

Shiro smiled.

"Well you have a deep, serious side you hide under all your jokes. Why would this be any different?"

Lance blinked at him, a rosy flush creeping into his cheeks.

"Thank you?"

"You're welcome. Now, the plans?"

"Right!" Lance squeaked, clearing his through, much to Allura's amusement.

Pidge sighed in relief, secretly sharing a fist bump with Hunk as Shiro leaned in closer to listen to Lance, paying close attention to him.

"Stage one of Operation Shance is underway," Hunk whispered triumphantly.

He watched Lance explain the plans to Shiro animatedly, using his hands as he tended to do when he talked, always speaking with his entire body.

"... and then Pidge will use her cloaking tech to drop us off here," Lance said, pointing the spot out to Shiro.

"And the civilians?"

Lance pulled a hologram up with an easy flick of his fingers.

"While we enter on green and set off the first bomb as a distraction, Hunk will be on standby to evacuate the civilians. Keith and Kolivan managed to set up a path to lead them down here. Some of the natives from the labor camps have been tunneling secretly for months. Allura will be there for cover with Blue when we call our lions down. Thankfully, it's a relatively small planet and the camp isn't that large. Most of the population escaped the labor camps as there is a forest that is too dangerous for the Galra. They didn't destroy the planet because its resources are too valuable and have to be mined by the natives. Once we free that camp and get them out of harms way, we can drop them off on the edge of the forest and draw the Galra out of the atmosphere and destroy the fleet."

Shiro nodded and Lance warmed under the intensity of his stare.

Why was Shiro being so... weird? And why was he so close? It made Lance want to bask in it and run away at the same time. He didn't want to get used to this.

He pulled away, something that did not escape Shiro's notice.

"Anyway, that's the plan," he said, eyes focused on the display.

"Got it," Shiro said, feeling the change in atmosphere and looking across the floating screens at Allura who watched him with that same indescribable expression from the previous day.

"Right then," she said. "Now that you're up to speed, let us eat. We have a long day ahead and we will need all the energy we can get."

They nodded, following her out silently, the rest of the crew trailing behind them.

Allura's ears twitched as she caught murmuring behind her.

"Did you do something different with your hair? It's shiny."

Shiro.

"Um, I started using this oil from that last planet we visited? It's made of something that looks like a cactus but has a completely different composition."

Lance.

"I like it."

"Those two are hopeless."

Hunk.

"At this rate I'm gonna throw them in a storage closet together until they work their shit out."

Pidge.

Allura's eyes narrowed, her nails digging into her palms.

How dare they....

Shiro had broken Lance's heart and now Pidge and Hunk were trying to get them together....

WITHOUT HER???!!!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After season 7 yall know I couldnt NOT bring up the elephant in the room.


	5. Not chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry

Hey y'all,

So I'm going through all my wips and as much as I'd love to be that person who can just "fix it" I can't.

It's more than a loss of motivation. After Lotor and Allura along with everything else that just hurt and upset me, I find that Voltron leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

But I do appreciate you all for reading and for your sweet comments along the way. You guys are awesome and I wish I could've found it in myself to finish this. 

I loved these characters so much it physically hurt and I just don't have the energy to devote to this fandom as I once did. 

It took me a while to say that and I'm sorry.

Best wishes,

Cyborg

**Author's Note:**

> ndfksnfalsknf Anyone who knows me on tumblr for realsies knows I am a HUGE Fast and Furious fan and I think Lance would be as well. So I snuck in that reference. Honestly those films have so many awesome quotes but that scene with Dom and Letty is one of my faves.


End file.
